The odds are against the NBA being able to resume its season and crown a champion, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Commissioner Adam Silver has said the league will be shut down for at least 30 days in an attempt to stem the spread of the virus. However, with three positive tests already reported and many more possibly looming, the stoppage could go on for much longer.
League sources tell Townsend that if any players, coaches or other personnel test positive for the virus, a 14-day quarantine will be imposed for the affected team. However, to keep conditions equal, all 29 other teams will have to stop training as well. With more than 500 players, including those on two-way deals, along with 150 coaches and countless staff members, a quick resolution appears very unlikely.
A league official informed Townsend that pessimism is increasing about the fate of the season, saying, “There are no shortcuts here. Everything has to fall into place. And there are so many variables that can’t be predicted.”
There’s more as the NBA sits idle:
- The National Basketball Players Association sent a message to agents saying they “fully expect that players will continue to receive salary on their designated paydays” during the hiatus, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Sources tell Charania that the union hasn’t discussed potential adjustments to salaries and doesn’t expect that to happen until decisions are made about the schedule (Twitter link).
- Referee Courtney Kirkland has been cleared to leave Sacramento after his coronavirus test was negative, tweets Eric Woodyard of ESPN. Kirkland had remained in the city since Wednesday’s game between the Kings and Pelicans was postponed. He is free to resume all activities and will have no medical restrictions, Woodyard adds.
- The NBA should have moved more quickly to suspend its season, contends Ethan Strauss of The Athletic. Noting that each person with coronavirus infects an estimated 2.8 other people, Strauss argues that the league had a responsibility to be more proactive once cases of the virus started hitting major North American cities. He criticizes the league for holding two games at Chase Center in San Francisco with a sign in the arena that stated, “Attending tonight’s game could increase your risk of contracting coronavirus.”
The NBA should have moved more quickly?– Why should anyone have been expected to cancel anything when Trumpsy said everything was fine and that a beautiful vaccine was on the way?
And the MSM still isn’t pressing any labs on testing equipment, never have. Every time the subject of the virus’ appearance comes up, it is said to be obvious to see. So why is a specific lab needed?– Why a second location at all?– Diagnosis should be a drive-through speedy business. In a wealthy society it can probably be done with a home kit.
Well back to google’s choices of articles.
I’ll agree on the wth is he talking about moved more quickly part. The NBA was the first to really move, they were the stress test for every other sport. Once they had a case every other sport folded and went home. Everyone has tried denying the threat and saying it wont affect me. The difference is the NBA took a 1x is too many times approach. They realized that the interconnected web of just 1 player having COVID 19 has and they shutdown shop. Think conspiracy theory, pin board, and a lot of red yarn.
Everyone knew attending games or events increased their odds. Yet they all showed up.
I’ll bet you were positively STEAMED during the Swine Flu outbreak.
I don’t recall the swine flu but mad cow made me mad. Diseased livestock getting kicked into the food chain and all that.
NBA did us all a favor and made everyone pay attention. Would have been much better if the Shite House had not pretended that there was nothing to see here and dragged their feet on preparing in any way other than those that served their political agenda.
Better late than never, I suppose. I hear testing will start on a broad basis around the 23rd/24th – they are using the S Korea ‘drive through’ test centers as a template.
That still means we won’t have enough data to understand the scope of this until sometime in mid-April, at which point it may seem prudent to just fold up the NBA season with no champion, like the 1994 baseball season.
Drive-through testing is oustanding. That should get the hardy-but-carrying to self-quarantine. Also their antibodies may be valuable someday.